A communication system can be seen as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities such as mobile communication devices and/or other stations associated with the communication system. A communication system and a compatible communication device typically operate in accordance with a given standard or specification which sets out what the various entities associated with the system are permitted to do and how that should be achieved. For example, the standard or specification may define if a communication device is provided with a circuit switched carrier service or a packet switched carrier service or both. Communication protocols and/or parameters which shall be used for the connection are also typically defined. For example, the manner how the communication device can access the communication system and how communication shall be implemented between communicating devices, the elements of the communication network and/or other communication devices is typically based on predefined communication protocols.
In a wireless communication system at least a part of the communication between at least two stations occurs over a wireless link. Examples of wireless systems include public land mobile networks (PLMN), satellite based communication systems and different wireless local networks, for example wireless local area networks (WLAN). The wireless systems can be divided into cells, and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.
A user can access the communication system by means of an appropriate communication device. A communication device of a user is often referred to as user equipment (UE). A communication device is provided with an appropriate signal receiving and transmitting arrangement for enabling communications with other parties. Typically a communication device is used for enabling the users thereof to receive and transmit communications such as speech and data. In wireless systems, a communication device provides a transceiver station that can communicate with e.g. a base station of an access network servicing at least one cell and/or another communications device. Depending on the context, a communication device or user equipment may also be considered as being a part of a communication system. In certain applications, for example in ad-hoc networks, the communication system can be based on use of a plurality of user equipment capable of communicating with each other.
The communication may comprise, for example, communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia and so on. Users may thus be offered and provided numerous services via their communication devices. Non-limiting examples of these services include two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services or simply an access to a data communications network system, such as the Internet. The user may also be provided broadcast or multicast content. Non-limiting examples of the content include downloads, television and radio programs, videos, advertisements, various alerts and other information.
3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is standardizing an architecture that is known as the long-term evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio-access technology. A further development of the LTE is referred to herein as LTE-Advanced.
In the LTE system, one of the base station classes is defined to comprise the so-called femto nodes. These femto nodes may also be referred to as home eNodeBs (HeNBs). These femto nodes are typically deployed in indoor environments, preferably in plug-and-play or self-organized network (SON) fashion and with access limitations so that only a configured group of subscribers is allowed to access a femto node. For example in residential deployment of a femto node typically family members are part of a configured subscriber group and other subscribers can not access the femto node.
In SON-based deployment of femto nodes, difficulties can arise if two neighbouring nodes, having been activated with a potentially configured subscriber group, end up with the same particular cell configuration. That can cause severe interference, and/or identity or resource conflicted scenarios between those nodes so that access and communication is not possible for subscribers in the vicinity of the nodes.